Something fishy

Artist Satyajit Varekar was flooded with compliments and appreciation on his Fish-O-Mania exhibition which was first exhibited at Nehru Centre in 2010. “I was so happy when people took notice of my work. I was very excited to showcase my works in a big city like Mumbai,” he tells us over a phone interview.

Thirty-one-year-old Varekar, who hails from Sangli, started working on the series in 2008. It took him two years to finish work on his paintings. He decided to take a step further and continue with this series, each time with a new fervour and context. This year, will be his sixth exhibition of the same series, and will focus on the lives of the fisherwomen that form an indispensable part of the fish-selling business. He explains, “The fisherwomen are the perfect companion to the fishermen. They help them in all the activities. I concentrated on their overall personality; the way they talk, the way they fight and most importantly, the way they dress.”

This particular series took him more than a year to complete and has a select set of 24 paintings on display. He admits, “It is very difficult to work on the same subject repeatedly and still be able to create something different out of it.”

Artist Satyajeet Varekar depicting the moods of the fisherwomen

All his paintings depict a strong sense of cultural background. He agrees, “I grew up in Sangli and therefore, most of my paintings have a strong cultural connect. I wanted to portray the natural setting and work on a realistic subject. Focusing on the smaller details such as colour and mood, helps me represent the culture.”

Ask him about his future projects and pat comes the reply, “I want to continue working on my Fish-O-Mania series as there is a lot more that can be done.

Besides that, I would like to work on the Rajasthani culture, as I find it very colourful.”